Jamie Lamor Thompson / Shutterstock.com
This year, college football is going to be different. Nick Saban, the greatest head coach ever, has retired from leading the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Now, he’s joined the media side of things.
Saban’s new gig includes being an in-studio analyst for College GameDay and other work with the SEC Network. When Brett McMurphy from The Action Network asked if he’d consider being a college football commissioner, Saban’s response was classic: “You better ask Miss Terry.” He won’t take on anything new without his wife’s blessing.
Would Saban want to move to Birmingham and become a conference commissioner? At 70-plus, it seems unlikely. But acting as a sort of college football czar? That’s something I could see happening. He loves the sport and has strong, diplomatic opinions about it.
Eventually, college football will separate from other college sports. It’s just a matter of time.
I asked Nick Saban if there’s a college football commissioner would he be interested? “You better ask Miss Terry”
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 17, 2024
Last year, we had a Power Five. Now, with the Pac-12 gone, it’s down to a Power Four.
Nick Saban defers to Miss Terry on being college football commissioner.
We definitely need more governance in college football. While Saban could be great for that role initially, it’s really Sankey’s next job. He needs to find his own successor first. Right now, Sankey, Big Ten’s Tony Petitti, and Big 12’s Brett Yormark are leading the pack.
We’re one big move away from major changes in conferences. Jim Phillips messed up in ACC Country, and George Kliavkoff is MIA near Barstow. With these three top dogs in charge, can you blame them?
As we head into the 2024 season, let’s enjoy having Saban on TV making us smarter about this amazing sport. Like Lee Corso, he won’t do this forever. We need to think ahead about what’s best for our sport’s future.
In the meantime, we love all you college football fans. Only a few more Saturdays left!
